Folding bed.



110.849.943. PATBNTED APR. 9, 1907.

u s. E. T WITGHELL.

FOLDING BED'.

APPLIOATION IIILED JULYZ, 1906.

y j aubade; Q/vhwoaeo v 'j K e( Home? SHERMAN E. TWITCHELL, OF MOBILE, ALABAMA.

FOLDING BED..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 9, 1907.

Application iiled July 25, 1906. Serial No. 327,702.

To @ZZ 71,171,071?, it may concern:

Be it known that I, SHERMAN E. TwrTcH- ELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Mobile, in the county of Mobile and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Folding Beds, yof which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved construction of metallic bed, the object of the invention being to provide a bed of this character which may be conveniently folded in close compass for storage, transportation, or disposal out of the way in some suitable portion of an apartment when not in use and which when adjusted for use will be strong and durable and present an attractive appearance.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bed embodying my invention as extended for use. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same in a folded condition. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse-section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a cross-section through one of the lock hinges or pivots on an enlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the construction of/the meeting ends of the sections of each rail. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views showing the construction of the elements of one of the lock-hinges.

Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 designate the end frames constituting the head and foot sections of the bed, and 3 the side rails connecting said head and foot sections.

Each rail is composed of a pair of sections 4 and 5, pivotally connected at their inner or meeting ends, as indicated at 6, the said sections being respectively provided with bracing-arms 7 and 3, provided with lateral lugs or projections 9 and 10. The arms 7 and 8 lie, when the sections 4 and 5 are in horizontal alinement, against the sides of said sections, while the lugs 9 and 10, respectively, project over upon and rest on the sections 5 and 4, thus connecting and reinforcing the two sections to prevent the same from sagging below the horizontal on the hinged connection 6 when the parts are in position for use.

The rail-sections are connected with the end frames 1 and 2 by lock hinges or pivots adapted to hold said sections against movement when the rail is horizontally disposed. As shown, each rail-section is provided with .a terminal ear 11, provided with a transverse opening 12 for the passage of a pivot stem or bolt 13, which also extends through a corresponding opening 14 in an ear 15, formed `the combined width or thickness of the ears,

so as to permit the ear 11 to have a lateral sliding motion toward and from the ear 15.

The ends ofthe bolt are formed with terminalv heads 16 and 17, one of which may be removable to permit the bolt to be connected with and disconnected from the ear, and between the ear 11 and outer head 17 acoiled spring 18 is arranged about the bolt and exerts ressure to hold the two ears in abutting an engaging relation. The ear 1 1 is formed with a keeper-recess 20, adapted to receive a locking rib or lug 21 on the ear 15, the ends of the recess 2O being, preferably, respectively formed with a V-notch 22 and a V projection 23, adapted to receive and engage a correspondingly-shaped projection 24 and a recess 25, formed on and in the locking rib or lug 21, thus eectually preventing any tendency to vertical pivot play of the parts when they are in locking engagement.

lt will be understood that when the railsections are swung downward to unfold the bed for use the ribs on the coupling member 16 will snap into engagement with the recesses in the rail-sections, and thus securely lock the parts in operative position. To fold the bed, it is simply necessary to slide the locking ends of the rail-sections on the pivotbolts out of locking engagement with the ribs of the coupling members and to swing the meeting ends of the rails upward to a slight degree, whereupon by pushing on one or both of the end sections the rails will fold up to the position shown in Fig. 2. When the end sections are again drawn apart, the rails will swing down to a horizontal position and the members of the loclcpivots will come into engagement and lock the rails in supporting position, as will be readily understood.

It will be apparent that the invention provides a simple and attractive construction of metallic bed which is adapted to fold in close compass and will be staunch and rigid when adjusted for use.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new ish 1. A folding bed comprising end sections, rails connecting the end sectlons, each rail comprising a pair of sections pivotally connected and provided with bracing means at their inner ends, and pivotal connections between the outer ends of the'rails and the end IIO sections, each of said connections comprising interlocking members and a spring for holding said members connected and permitting of their relative movement and disengage-A ment.

2. A folding bed comprising end sections provided with coupling members, sectional rails, the rails of each section bein@r pivotally connected at their inner ends an( provided at their outer ends 'with members to interlock with said coupling members, pivot connections uniting the coupling members of the end frames and rails, and springs associated With said pivot connections to hold the members in interlocking engagement and permit hlen to be separated to adapt the rails to 3. A folding bed comprising end sections7 and sectional rails connecting the end sections, each rail comprising a pair of sections pivotally connected and provided at their meeting ends With means for bracing them in extended position, and pivoted interlocking members connecting the outer ends of the rail-sections with the end sections of the bed, said interlocking members having springs associated With their pivotal connections to normally hold them in interlocking engagement and adapt them to be thrown out of lfoplliing engagement to permit the rails to In testimony whereof I afix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

SHERMAN E. TWITCHELL.

Vitnesses:

FREDERICK G. BROMBERG, ISABEL HARRISON. 

